U.S. patent application number 11/113384 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-17 for method for the production of a laminate material for hook and loop closures.
This patent application is currently assigned to Nordenia Deutschland Gronau GmbH. Invention is credited to Georg Baldauf.
Application Number | 20060180272 11/113384 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34933725 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060180272 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baldauf; Georg |
August 17, 2006 |
Method for the production of a laminate material for hook and loop
closures
Abstract
A method for the production of a laminate material for hook and
loop closures, particularly for diaper closures, comprises
laminating a textile material onto a carrier film having a surface
structure that is suitable for forming a connection with the hooks
of a hook and loop closure. The textile material is not connected
with the carrier film over its entire area, and the textile
material forming the cover layer of the laminate material is
brushed after lamination.
Inventors: |
Baldauf; Georg; (Laer,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WILLIAM COLLARD;COLLARD & ROE, P.C.
1077 NORTHERN BOULEVARD
ROSLYN
NY
11576
US
|
Assignee: |
Nordenia Deutschland Gronau
GmbH
|
Family ID: |
34933725 |
Appl. No.: |
11/113384 |
Filed: |
April 22, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
156/290 ;
156/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 428/23971 20150401;
Y10T 428/23986 20150401; Y10T 428/23979 20150401; Y10T 428/24826
20150115; Y10T 428/23957 20150401; Y10T 428/2481 20150115; A44B
18/0034 20130101; Y10T 428/23993 20150401; Y10T 428/23964 20150401;
A44B 18/0011 20130101; Y10T 428/23914 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
156/290 ;
156/066 |
International
Class: |
B32B 37/00 20060101
B32B037/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 12, 2005 |
EP |
05 003 002.2 |
Claims
1. A method for the production of a laminate material for hook and
loop closures, comprising the following steps: laminating a textile
material onto a carrier film via an adhesive, said carrier film
having a surface structure that is adapted for forming a connection
with hooks of a hook and loop closure, wherein the textile material
is not connected with the carrier film over its entire area; and
brushing the textile material after said step of laminating.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier film,
adhesive and the textile material pass through a pair of rollers in
which the carrier film is pressed together with the textile
material.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is applied
to the carrier film using a rotary printing method.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier film and the
textile material are connected on 20% to 80% of their areas.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is applied
to the carrier film in a pattern that has fields having adhesive
areas and regions that are free of adhesive, and having field
frames consisting of an adhesive film applied over an entire
area.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive is applied
to the carrier film, in the fields, in one or more of the following
patterns: dots, parallel stripes, intersecting stripes, or a
cell-shaped structure.
7. A method according to claim 5, wherein reference marks that are
visible or can be seen only under UV light are imprinted on the
carrier film to mark the fields.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the textile material is
selected from the group consisting of: a woven textile, a material
having a basic interlaid scrim of filament yarn and having loops
that are connected with the scrim by knitting technology, and a
nonwoven fabric.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the textile material has
a weight per area unit between 5 g/m.sup.2 and 60 g/m.sup.2.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of brushing is
accomplished with at least one brush having bristles made of metal
or plastic, in one or more work steps.
11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said at least one brush
has bristles that are disposed at a slant on the brush surface, or
are bent.
12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one brush
comprises at least one brush roller or fixed brush.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a method for the production of a
laminate material for hook and loop closures, particularly for
diaper closures, wherein a textile material is laminated onto a
carrier film having a surface structure that is suitable for
forming a connection with the hooks of a hook and loop closure.
[0003] 2. The Prior Art
[0004] The laminate material produced according to the method forms
the female part of a hook and loop closure. When used on a diaper,
a strip of the laminate material, which is applied to the front
waistband region of the diaper, and a closure tape, which is
attached at the side of the diaper, form a hook and loop closure.
Hook and loop closures can be opened and closed multiple times and
are less sensitive to contact with skin creams or powder, as
compared with adhesive closures.
[0005] Various demands are made on the laminate material for hook
and loop closures on baby diapers. It is supposed to have a soft
surface, in order to prevent skin irritations when it makes contact
with the baby's skin. The textile substrate is supposed to have as
low a weight per area unit as possible, so that it can be produced
inexpensively and is translucent, so that the surface of the
carrier film, which is generally imprinted, remains visible. In
order to fulfill its function as a hook and loop closure, the
laminate material must have enough fibers on which the hook and
loop hooks can anchor themselves.
[0006] A method for the production of a laminate material this
purpose is described in European Patent No. EP 0 777 006 B1. In
this connection, the textile material consists of an interlaid
scrim of warp and weft threads and loops connected with the
interlaid scrim using knitting technology. For a permanent bond,
the textile material is laminated onto the carrier film with a
sufficiently thick layer of adhesive. Both the smoothing of the
surface in the lamination process and the gluing of fibers results
in a reduction in the number of effective fibers on which the hook
and loop hooks can anchor themselves, and this results in a
deterioration of the hook and loop properties of the laminate
material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
method for the production of a laminate material for hook and loop
closures, which leads to an improvement in the hook and loop
properties of the laminate material, as compared with the state of
the art, at a high laminate strength of the laminate material.
[0008] This object is accomplished in that the textile material is
not connected with the carrier film over its entire area, and the
textile material forming the cover layer of the laminate material
is brushed after lamination. The carrier film and the textile
material are preferably glued to one another, whereby the adhesive
is applied to the carrier film not over its entire surface, but in
a pattern consisting of adhesive areas and regions that are free of
adhesive. The carrier film, with the adhesive applied to it, and
the textile material pass through a pair of rollers in which the
carrier film is pressed together with the textile material.
[0009] The adhesive is preferably applied to the carrier film in
accordance with a pattern that has fields having an adhesive
pattern of adhesive areas and regions that are free of adhesive,
and having field frames consisting of an adhesive film applied over
an entire area. The adhesive can be applied to the carrier film, in
the fields, in the form of dots, in a pattern of parallel or
intersecting stripes, in a pattern having a cell-shaped structure,
or a combination of these patterns. The adhesive-covered area
amounts to 20% to 80%, preferably 40% to 60% of the total area of
the laminate material. The field frames, which consist of an
uninterrupted, full-area adhesive film, are disposed in such a
manner that the textile material and the carrier film have a
complete, surrounding, non-positive lock glue connection at the
edges of the pieces obtained from the web of laminate material,
which form the female part of a hook and loop closure. Fraying of
the textile material, or even tearing of the textile material from
the carrier film at the edge of a piece of laminate material, where
the greatest forces occur when the hook and loop closure is opened
and the open ends of the textile material are present can be
prevented by means of the adhesive frame. The adhesive areas that
surround the fields having an adhesive pattern furthermore result
in less dust formation when the laminate material web is cut. Since
the cut always takes place in the zones that have been glued over
their entire area, no loose fiber residues and filament residues,
which could contaminate the system as dust, occur. The good hook
and loop effect between the textile material and the hook and loop
hooks is guaranteed in the non-glued regions. Therefore an amount
of adhesive that guarantees a reliable and permanent bond between
the textile material and the carrier film can be applied at the
glued regions. Local gluing of the fibers and a reduction in the
hook and loop effect in these regions can be tolerated because of
the good hook and loop properties in the non-glued regions.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the method, the adhesive is
applied to the carrier film using a rotary printing method. The
carrier film passes through a printing roller arrangement
consisting of an engraved cylinder and a counter-cylinder that
presses the film against the engraved cylinder, whereby the surface
of the engraved cylinder is provided with an engraving that
corresponds to the adhesive pattern. An adhesive film is applied to
the surface of the engraved cylinder or the surface of the
counter-cylinder, which film is transferred to the carrier film at
the raised areas of the engraving.
[0011] Brushing of the textile cover layer of the laminate material
results in an improvement in the hook and loop properties, and in a
softer surface of the textile material, whereby different effects
of the brushing process, which are dependent on the type of the
textile material and on the brush being used, and will be described
below, can contribute to improved hook and loop properties. By
means of the brushing process, the non-glued regions of the textile
cover layer are particularly affected and deflected, and part of
the textile yarns is split into its fibers. In the case of nonwoven
fabrics, individual long fibers are additionally released from the
laminate, thereby resulting in loops and fiber ends on which the
hook and loop hooks can anchor themselves. The textile layer
becomes softer and more voluminous, both when using a woven textile
and when using a warp-knit fabric, and the number of fibers on
which the hook and loop hooks can anchor themselves is increased.
In the case of a nonwoven fabric, a significant hook and loop
property of the textile cover layer is only produced by the
brushing process.
[0012] The brushing process can be carried out with brush rollers.
It is practical if the rotation of the brush rollers is established
so that the surface of the brush has a positive or negative
relative speed with regard to the laminate material web that passes
underneath the brush roller. By rotating the brush roller in the
plane parallel to the laminate material web that passes underneath,
and by changing the speed of rotation of the brush roller, the
brushing direction and the brushing speed can be varied, with
regard to the laminate material web passing through. This is
important, among other things, since different results can be
expected, as a function of the brushing direction, due to the type
of fabric, for example the alignment of the fibers in a nonwoven
fabric, and as a result of the processing direction of the laminate
material web.
[0013] The tensile force perpendicular to the plane of the laminate
material web can be influenced by using brushes that are aligned at
a slant or bent. During the rotation of the brush rollers, the
fibers are thereby pulled away from the laminate material web, as a
function of the orientation of the bristles. In order to improve
the brushing process, the process can also be carried out in
several steps, with different brushes and/or with different
brushing directions and speeds, according to the invention, whereby
the different effects of the individual brushing processes can be
combined. Aside from this, fixed brushes can be used for the
brushing process, alternatively or in addition. The bristles of the
brushes consist of metal and/or plastic.
[0014] Reference marks imprinted on the carrier film, which mark
the positioning of the adhesive frames, can facilitate the further
processing of the laminate material web.
[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, a textile material of
woven textile, a material having a basic interlaid scrim consisting
of filament yarn and having loops that are connected with the basic
interlaid scrim by means of knitting technology, or a nonwoven
fabric having a weight per area unit between 5 g/m.sup.2 and 60
g/m.sup.2 is laminated onto a carrier film of polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyester, polyamide, or a mixture or a
copolymerizate of these polymers, having a weight per area unit
between 5 g/m.sup.2 and 50 g/m.sup.2. Preferred adhesives are
hot-melt glues on the basis of PAO, EVA, SBS, SIS, reactive
polyurethane adhesives, acrylate adhesives, as well as
radiation-curing adhesives.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Other objects and features of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description considered
in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be
understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an
illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the
invention.
[0017] In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote
similar elements throughout the several views:
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a system for the production of the laminate
material,
[0019] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a detail of a laminate material,
which was produced in a method according to FIG. 1,
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a top view of a brush roller with the laminate
material web passing underneath it,
[0021] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through a brush roller with the
textile substrate lying underneath it, and
[0022] FIG. 5 shows the laminate material after the brushing
process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0023] The method for the production of the laminate material is
schematically shown in FIG. 1. Adhesive 2 is applied to a carrier
film 1 in a pattern consisting of adhesive areas 3 and regions 4
that are free of adhesive. The adhesive is applied to carrier film
1 according to a rotary printing method, for example. In this
connection, carrier film 1 passes through an arrangement of
printing rollers 5, consisting of an engraved cylinder 6 and a
counter-cylinder 7 that presses carrier film 1 against the engraved
cylinder. The surface of engraved cylinder 6 is provided with an
engraving 8 that forms the adhesive pattern. In the embodiment of
the method as shown, an amount of adhesive that can be determined
in a variable manner is applied to the surface of engraved cylinder
6, and transferred to carrier film 1 at the elevated surfaces of
engraving 8. A material web of a textile material 9, which is
suitable for forming a connection with hook and loop hooks, is
applied to the side of carrier film 1 that is provided with
adhesive 2. The two-layer web that is formed as a result runs
through the roller nip of a pair of rollers 10, in which carrier
film 1 is pressed together with textile material 9, to form a
laminate material 11. Subsequently, the textile cover layer of the
laminate material 11 is brushed with a brush arrangement 12.
[0024] For the method shown, carrier films 1 of polyolefins,
polyester, polyamide, mixtures or copolymerizates of these polymers
can be used. The textile material preferably has a weight per area
unit between 5 g/m.sup.2 and 60 g/m.sup.2, and can consist of a
woven textile, a material having a basic interlaid scrim consisting
of filament yarn and having loops that are connected with the basic
interlaid scrim by means of knitting technology, or a nonwoven
fabric. To glue carrier film 1 to textile material 9, hot-melt
glues on the basis of PAO, EVA, SBS, SIS, reactive polyurethane
adhesives, acrylate adhesives, as well as radiation-curing
adhesives can be used.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the layer structure of laminate
material 11. The drawing shows that adhesive 2 is applied to
carrier film 1 in accordance with a pattern, which has fields 13
having an adhesive pattern of adhesive areas 3 and regions 4 that
are free of adhesive, and having field frames 14 of an adhesive
film applied over the entire area. In fields 13, adhesive 2 can be
applied to carrier film 1 in the form of dots, in a pattern of
parallel or intersecting stripes, in a pattern having a cell-shaped
structure, or a combination of these patterns. The proportion of
the adhesive-covered area within the fields amounts to 20% to 80%,
preferably 40% to 60%. The field frames 14, which consist of an
uninterrupted adhesive film, form the edges of the pieces cut off
from the web of laminate material, which form hook and loop
closures together with hook tapes. Reference marks 15 that are
visible or can be seen only under UV light mark the positions of
the field frames 14 that are configured as an adhesive area. At
regions 4 that are free of adhesive, where the textile material 9
is not glued to carrier film 1, the laminate material has a good
hook and loop effect.
[0026] A clear improvement in the hook and loop properties can be
achieved by means of a subsequent brushing process, shown in FIG.
3. In the method step shown, bristles 16, which consist of metal or
plastic, for example, are disposed on a driven brush roller 17.
Brush roller 17, as shown in FIG. 3, can be pivoted in a plane
parallel to laminate material web 11. By varying the pivot angle
.alpha. and/or the speed of rotation of brush roller 17, both the
brushing direction and the brushing speed, i.e. the relative speed
between the brush surface and laminate material web 11, can be
adjusted. It also lies within the scope of the invention that two
or more different brush rollers 17 and/or fixed brushes are used,
one after the other.
[0027] FIG. 4 shows, in cross-section, the process of brushing
textile material 9 that forms the cover layer of the laminate
material. The bristles 16 of brush roller 17 engage textile
material 9 at the non-glued regions of laminate material 11. At a
relative speed between the laminate material web and brush roller
17, individual fibers are seized and deflected by the bristles 16.
Individual yarns of the textile material can also be broken into
their fibers. The textile cover layer of laminate material 11
becomes more voluminous and softer as a result. The number of loops
and of fiber ends that project at a slant from the material, on
which the hook and loop hooks can anchor themselves, is
increased.
[0028] The change in textile material 9 that forms the cover layer
is shown schematically in FIG. 5. The contour of the unbrushed
material has been shown with a broken line, for a comparison. By
means of the brushing process, textile material 9 is greatly built
up in the regions free of adhesive, thereby becoming more
voluminous and softer. If a suitable brush arrangement 12 is
selected, the bond between the textile material and carrier film 1
is not significantly impaired in the glued regions. In coordination
with the type of textile material 9, the brushing process can be
optimized by varying the hardness of bristles 16, changing the
brushing direction and speed, and/or using bristles 16 that run at
a slant or are bent.
[0029] Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present
invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many
changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *